Page 78 of Theoretically Straight

“Might as well,” Theo says with a laugh. “I’ve come this far.”

“You’ve been great,” Wren says, grabbing the small glass bottle of nail polish from their station and shaking it. “Really, you fuss less than both Freddy and Caleb, and they’ve been my canvases for years.”

“Hey,” I interject. “I never complain.”

“But you flinch every time I touch you.”

“You have cold hands,” I defend myself. “And most of the time my eyes are closed, so how am I supposed to know when it’s coming?”

Theo laughs, the black paint covering his mouth stretching. “How do I look?”

“Terrifying,” I assure him. “You’re going to freak when you see it.”

Wren takes Theo’s hand, carefully coating each nail with the black polish. “Your cuticles are a mess,” they tell him. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you how to buff?”

“I can honestly say I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Theo answers, pulling his other hand close and inspecting his nail beds.

“Look it up, friend. Add it to your self-care routine.”

I’m pretty sure Theo is blushing under all that makeup.

After both hands have been painted, Wren disappears upstairs to get the top hat. Freddy is sitting on the couch, watching some guy on YouTube restore an antique desk lamp, so it’s just me and Theo in the corner.

“You doing okay?” I ask in a low voice. “I kinda threw you to the wolves here.”

“I’m good, I think,” he says, staring at his nails. “I like your friends. They’re funny but also kind of savage.”

“Yeah, you get used to it after a while. You have to keep your wits about you, that’s for sure.”

He tears his attention away from his hands, looking at me now. And even with all the black and white makeup and creepy shadows, I can still see the shape of his features underneath.

“I bet I look so wild right now,” he says.

“Just a little bit.”

Theo leans in closer. “I guess this isn’t the best time to kiss you then?”

I glance over my shoulder at the back of Freddy’s head. He’s entranced with his video, and Wren is still upstairs.

“I don’t know how I feel about kissing a ghoul,” I tease him, leaning forward. “What will people say?”

Theo picks up on my playfulness. “Let them talk. No one can get in the way of our forbidden love.”

And even though I know we’re just messing around, my heart skips a beat at his words, and I can’t keep myself from wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss. He grunts with surprise, but then he’s kissing me back, and his hands are on my waist, and I don’t want him to ever let go.

“All that work I put in, and you two can’t keep it in your pants for five minutes while I’m gone?”

I pull away from Theo to find Wren standing by the couch and Freddy watching over the back. They’re both grinning like they’ve been let in on a secret.

“My bad,” I say, dragging the back of my hand across my lips and pulling back a streak of charcoal-colored makeup. “In my defense, I do love the movie.”

“Obviously,” Wren says, walking over to their desk and pulling out a pack of wipes. They toss them to me. “Give me a minute to touch you up, Theo, and we’ll get a picture taken and get you out of all that.”

“Right,” Theo says, looking at me with a sheepish grin. “Thanks.”

I pull out one of the wipes, moving over to the mirror. “It kind of looks like I have a five o’clock shadow.”

“More like you’ve been making out with a chimney sweep,” Freddy calls from the couch.

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